To think the BBC are being deliberately provocative and should not be screening The Burrowers now

[TheKingAndI]

The desperately long awaited badger cull pilot is due to take place this summer/autumn, which will be a huge relief to many farmers who are suffering the scourge of bovine tb. I just don't think we need the BBC to be so provocative by showing this program at the current time, with its "cute" badgers being fawned over and fondled by Chris Packham.

[edam]

It drives people with an agenda crazy that the BBC is independent and doesn't have to bend to the will of this bunch or that bunch. Not that the Beeb always gets it right, but the idea that they should ban any references to badgers just in case it upsets some anti-badger zealots is ridiculous.

FWIW, the science is very clear - there is NO evidence that a badger cull will achieve anything other than a lot of dead badgers. Look at the Krebbs trial. The only reason for the cull is so that the government can look as if they are doing 'something' - even if that something is pointless. Still, if it wins them a few votes from people who hate badgers, or who find it difficult to understand 'seriously, we've looked at it carefully and it really won't work', what do the politicians care?

[Elsiequadrille]

I thought she meant the Borrowers too, Exit!

Yabu by the way, OP.

[maddening]

Why shouldn't all sides be aired - not everyone wants the cull - surely everyone else can have an loosing opinion.

we can't go round randomly wiping out wildlife - we have to learn how to live along with it - working on a test that can test for tb without picking up vaccinated cows as positive would be the best bet imo.

[maddening]

opposing not loosing :-P

[TheKingAndI]

Of course the BBC knows what they are doing by putting this program out now. They have remained silent on the issue for the last 2 months, only for it to be back on Breakfast again this morning. I have friends who are BBC journalists and be under no illusion, they would have their own agenda for doing this.

I am fully aware of all the data/science on btb. I am married to a farmer and we have suffered with this problem for many years although luckily not for the last three or so. And my husband is actually high up in the chain of command in terms of organising the pilots so, trust me, we are very well informed in every respect of this disease and the reasons for doing it. In fact, it is pretty much all my husband (and many other committed individuals) have worked on for the last 2.5 years.

[AnneUulmelmahay]

Okay so this is one of them threads:

OP Aibu
Hive mind Yup
OP but I ainnnnn't
Hive mind Sorry but Yabu my bab
OP Humph I have an AXE to grind doncha know AND my husband has vested interests
Hive mind ODFOD

Am I right?

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I don't think the disagreement can be attributed to a hive mind.

But yeah, basically what you said Anne

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I say that because I started the hive obviously

[ThatVikRinA22]

what a load of rot.
the programme features rabbits and water vole aswell as badgers. This programme is revealing things that science didnt know up until now - and the water vole is an endangered species now in the UK.

go and get a life. YABU. very.
do you know where the off switch is on your TV? if so then feel free to use it while i enjoy the programme in question.

you can tell me what to watch when i can tell you what to watch.

[thecatfromjapan]

If "they" start showing repeats of Pete the ParkKeeper, with his cute, helpful badger mates, that is the sign that the Badger Resistance is to take to the streets. They have been secretly fund-raising for arms, and have been undertaking manouevres in the Outer Hebrides for months now.

Watch out.

Be Alert.

Start stocking up provisions.

And pack your O.F.R.

[thecatfromjapan]

[ThatVikRinA22]

i am now picturing water voles in french macs sporting french accents allo allo style.....

[feesh]

TheKingAndI you do realise that this programme was probably commissioned at least 3 years ago?! YABU.

[Moxiegirl]

Badgers are going to be culled?

[HappySeven]

I'm guessing the OP knew people wouldn't agree with her but wanted to get people thinking. This is an interesting article showing how country file steers away from such issues which we assume is, at best, not to alienate people but is possibly because of the threats presenters such as Adam have had to their family since they said they believed there was a link here

There needs to be a proper debate and by people who have real data. Perhaps mumsnet isn't the place to do it but it's never wrong to try and get people to see another point of view.

[Morgause]

Badger cull helps solve Bovine TB problems = Bad science.

Educate yourself, OP.

[HappySeven]

I should have said that Adam didn't say there was a link but merely reported that there was to be a cull. He tried to be balanced and now Countryfile avoids the subject. That's insane and not balanced.

[Morgause]

Even The farmers Weekly newspaper thinks so.

www.fwi.co.uk/articles/18/02/2013/137698/widespread-badger-cull-will-not-solve-bovine-tb-warns.htm

[Meglet]

Yabu. Huge over thinking IMO.

Did anyone see the baby rabbits, they only need one short bf a day then the mum flounces off out again. No cluster feeding for mummy rabbits .

[inde]

God has it really come to this. The BEEB can't even put on a programme about our national wildlife without it being considered provocative to farmers. Do you really expect them to put out a memo to the makers of autumn watch saying no badgers please it might make farmers and their wives feel guilty.
Not a dig at all farmers by the way. Many of them respect and encourage local wildlife.

[Pachacuti]

The Robin Page piece about badgers being edited out of the Countryfile hedgehog piece was interesting (although he rather detracted from his main point by spending the first half of the article complaining that they hadn't asked him to be on a programme that he doesn't like and doesn't watch; under normal circumstances I might well have skipped over the rest of the article at that point).

[SoniaGluck]

YABU, OP. There is another side to the argument, as you well know. As has been pointed out not all farmers agree that a cull is the way to go.

God forbid that anyone might have a different way of looking at things, though, eh?

As to looking at all the evidence Happy, why assume that people opposed to the cull haven't already done so?

And, as an aside, I am totally fed up with constant attacks on whatever the BBC does. Quite often the people who lead the attacks have an agenda as edam said.

We will be very much the poorer if ever those who don't like the BBC manage to abolish it.

[PenelopePipPop]

Erm is the logic of your post seriously that if badgers are to be culled then
communication about badger behaviour should also be suppressed?

To what end? If the arguments for culling are sound it should make no difference. You seem to think everyone who has a different opinion to you holds that different opinion because they think badgers are cute. Could you be any more patronising?

[FrigginRexManningDay]

There's otters in the stream behind my house.

Δ Pointless point but I do like nature programmes.

[FrigginRexManningDay]

And FYI its the foxes behind the badger propaganda, didn't any of you see The Animals of Farthing Wood?